Steering gear



Feb. 9, 1932.

F. F. CHANDLER 1,844,005

STEERING GEAR 7 Filed Oct. 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l u INVEN TOR.

BY M F. F. CHANDLER Feb. 9, 1932.

STEERING GEAR Filed Oct. 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNE3 (N FRANKLIN r. CHANDLER, or LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, nssienon To Ross GEAR'.&

00., or LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, A conronacrron OF INDIANA Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED Isa-fares; PATENT {OFFICE-1;).

' STEERING: GE R Application filed October 8, 1928. Serial No. 311,093.

This invention is animprove'ment in steering 'ge'arsfor automobiles and the like and has particular reference to the so-called cam and lever steering gear of the type shown in patent to D. E. Ross No. 1,567,997, Deceme her 29th, 1925, but is also applicable to other types of steering gear having a helical or spirally grooved actuating member adapted to be engaged by a member on the rocker shaft so as to transmit motion from the actuatin'g member to the rocker shaft.

The object of the present invention is to improve such gears by providing a novel anti-friction rolling contact between the walls ofthe helical groove of the actuating member and the'member on the rocker arm, to provide such a contact aswill accommodate iteslf to and maintain rolling contact with a helical groove of varying pitch.

I will explain theinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated two well known types of steering gears to which the invention is appliedas illustrative of the utility and a plication of the invention to various forms of gears; and will explain theinvention'with reference to said drawings to enable others to adopt and use the same. In the claims the essentials of the invention novel features with my invention.

of construction and novel combinations of parts for which protection is desired are summarized.

In said drawings; 7 Fig. 1 is a section of a Boss cam and'lever steering gear equipped with my invehtion;

Fig. 2 is a section on theline 2'2'Fig. 1-

with the actuating member partly broken.

away. v v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailsectionlon the line 3-3 Fig. 1. p i. f Fig. .4 is a sectional view of part of another type of steering gear having a helically grooved actuating member, and equipped .Fig. 5 is a side View, partly in section on the line 55 Fig. 4. 1 v

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail lplansvie w of the device'mount'ed-on the rockershaft arm. 5 The steering gear shown in Figs. 1 to 3 has an actuating member 1 attached to a shaft 1a .and havinga helical groove lb. The rocker shaft 2 has an arm 20? which is adapted to be operatively] engaged with and actuated by the member 1 [These parts are root 1 I mounted andhoused within a suitable casing 3, and in general may be, constructedv and adapted to operate asmore fully described in the aforesaid Ross Patent No. 1,567,997.

In the Rosspatent referred to the rocker arm 2a has a stud whichengages the groove 1?) 5 but in accordance with my invention instead of such pin I provide'a disk like roller 4 which is rotatably mounted by ball bearings or races 51 (see Fig.fi3) 'in a cylindric stud-journal 6 which is mounted within a socket-'26 in the arm 20 of the rocker shaft directly opposite the actuating member. The

partsa're so proportioned that one side of V the roller 4 projects into and engages the groove 16 in the actuating member 1. The sidewalls of this roller 4 are tapered adjacent its periphery to correspond with the taper of the opposed walls of the helical groove in the actuating member; so that the pro]ect1n-g portion of the roller will closely and neatly engage with said groove similar to a tooth or to the Ross stud. The roller 4;- being mounted in ball bearingsi's free to rotate and thus friction at the contact points between the actuating member and the arm 2a is obviated.

It will be observed that this "roller 1c is 1 mounted on ball bearings at either .side so that the roller is free to turn while it 0on tacts with the actuating member and itcan rotate as the member isturn'ed- It is desirable to mount this roller and itsbearmgs in such manner on the rocker arm 2a that the roller can contact with and accommodate' itself to a helical groove I?) of varying pitch, so that the sides of the roller can not be cramped in the cam groove at: the points where the pitch of the cam grooveqcommences-to change or vary. For

this purpose theroller 4 and its bal l bear ings 5 are mounted in a slot in oneendof the cylindric stud 6,-which is rotatable in the socket 2b in the rocker arm= 2a. 1 This modate itself to such variations in the pitch of the groove 1?) as may be cut in it.

It has heretofore been thought that the onlv kind of a contact surface which could be successfully made with actuating mem bers of the Ross cam and lever gears was by a conical headed stud because such stud would always make proper contact with the wall of the groove notwithstanding variations in the pitch thereof; but my invention produces a roller contact in the manner above described.

For convenience in assembling the parts the stud journal 6 may be made in diametrically opposite halves (see Fig. one half of the slot and one of the bearings 6a for the ball races 5 being made in each half. In assembling the parts the ball races 5 can be placed on opposite sides of the roller 4 and the opposite halvesof the stud journal 6 placed thereagainst, then the stud journal 6 can be inserted in the socket 2b.

The arm 2a preferably is slotted as at 26 which slot intersects the socket 2b; a clamp bolt 7 transfixes the opposite walls of the slot 26 between the socket 2b and the shaft 2; and after the stud journal 6 is inserted in its cavity in the outer end of the arm the clamp bolt 7 is drawn up tight enough to produce a close fit of the :stud journal 6 in its socket and still permit it to readily turn on its axis so that the roller 4 will always maintain proper contact with the walls of the groove 1?).

To prevent the roller from being thrown out of mesh with the groove under violent strains, the rocker arm has a close sliding contact with the wall of the casing as shown at 38.

In Figs. 4 to 6 the invention is illustrated applied to a steering gear having a concaved-cylindric actuating member 1% provided with a helical groove law, which is engaged by a roller 4 supported by roller bearings 5 in a stud-journal 6 as described. In

i this construction the stud journal 6 is mounted in a socket 26.70. in an arm 2am on the rocker shaft 2a. In this construction when the actuating member 1:0 is turned it will through roller 4 move arm 2am and impart a rocking movement to the shaft 200.

The stud journal 6 can rotate about its axis in its socket in the arm 2am and permit roller 4 to accommodate itself to variations in the pitch of the spiral groove law as above described.

To regulate and adjust the engagement of the roller 4 with the groove 1am and to arrest and compensate for the thrust caused between the roller and the actuating member, the

said screw being provided with a locking nut 8a.

It should be observed that in the latter construction, just as with the first one described, the swiveling action of the circular stud journal 6 with the roller mounted in one end of it will permit the roller to assume various angular positions so that proper contact will be made with the groove cutin the cam even if thisgroove has a varying pitch.

It will be observed that the axis of the roller 4 is practically parallel with the axis of the actuating member and at right angles to the side walls of the spiral groove with which such roller engages. Also that the axis of the roller 4 is practically perpendicular to the axis of the stud 6 on which it rotates and also perpendicular to the axis of the rocker shaft on which it is mounted. Therefore the anti-friction roller in my invention is essentially different from the roll- 3 ers commonly used on pins or studs to make contact with an opposed surface, the axes of such rollers being concentric to the axes of the studs upon which they are mounted.

I do not consider the invention limited in purposes in the art where a rolling contact is desirable between a spirally grooved member and a member to be operated thereby. Nor do I consider the invention limited to the specific mounting ofsuch roller on a stud journal as illustrated.

I claim:

1. In a steering gear of the character specified including a spirally grooved actuating member, and a rocker shaft disposed at approximately right angles to the actuating member and having an arm adjacent the actuating member and adapted. to be operated thereby; a stud rotatably mounted upon said arm, a roller disk rotatably mounted on said stud, the axis of the disk being substantially perpendicular to the axis of the stud and substantially parallel to the axis of the actuating member; said diskprojecting beyond the stud journal and engaging the groove in the actuating member. 2. In a steering gear of the character specified including a spirally grooved actuating member, and a rocker shaft disposed at ap proximately right angles to the actuating member and having an arm adjacent the actuating member adapted to be operated thereby a slotted stud rotatably mounted on said arm; a roller disk rotatably mounted in the slot in said stud, the axis of the disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud and substantially parallel to the axis of the actuating member, said disk projecting beyond the slot in said stud and entering the groove in the actuating member 3. In a steering gear of the character specified; a stud adapted to be rotatably mounted in a support, a roller disk rotatably mounted upon said stud, the axis of the disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud, said disk projecting beyond the stud for engagement with an opposed groove.

4. In a steering gear ofthe character specified, a slotted stud rotatably mounted in a 19 support, a roller-disk rotatably mounted in the slot in said stud, the axis of the disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud, said disk projecting beyond the slot in said stud and adapted to enter a groove. 7 5. In a steering gear of the character specified; a stud journal adapted to be rotatably mounted in a socket and divided longitudinally, a roller disk rotatably mounted between members of said stud and having its '20 eri her beveled to en a e a roovethe P p y b c a a axis of the disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud, said disk projectingbeyond the stud.

6. In a steering gear of the character specified; a stud journal adapted to be rotatably mounted in a socket and having a longitudinal slot and divided longitudinally of the slot. a roller disk rotatably mounted on ball bearings within the slot, the axis ofthe disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud, said disk projecting beyond the slot.

7. In a steering gear of the character specified; a stud journal adapted to be rotatably mounted in a socket and having a slot and divided longitudinally of the slot, a roller disk rotatably mounted on ball bearings upon said stud and within the slot and having its periphery beveled to engage a groove, the axis of the disk being perpendicular to the axis of the stud, said disk projecting beyond the slot.

8. A steering gear including an actuating member provided with a helical groove, a rocker shaft having its axis in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the actuating memher, and an arm on said shaft adapted to be operated by said actuating member a support rotatably mounted on the rocker arm, and a roller disk rotatably mounted on said support; the plane of the disk being substan- 59 tially parallel with the plane of the'axis of the V actuating member and substantially perpendicular to the axis of said support, and the periphery of said disk engaging the groove in the actuating member and providing a rolling contact between the rocker arm and the actuating member. s

FRANKLIN F. CHANDLER, 

